National Trust members have narrowly voted down a proposal to ban legal “trail hunting” on the organisation’s land.

The defeat of the motion, which would have had a signficant impact on trail hunting packs in Cornwall, was widely welcomed by rural pressure groups who complained the trust was being used as a political football by animal rights campaigners.

Members who put forward the resolution called on the National Trust not to permit trail hunting, in which a scent is laid for hounds and the hunt to follow.

The Trust owns vast swathes of land across Cornwall and allows several hunts to use it.

During the charity’s annual general meeting in Swindon, Wiltshire, they said the practice was allowing illegal hunting of foxes, deer and other animals with dogs.

Those opposing the proposal said hunts were working within the law. The charity’s board of trustees brought in new measures for licensing legal hunts – including forbidding laying fox-based scents – in August.

In total, 30,686 members voted for the proposal to ban trail hunting, while 30,985 voted against – a difference of just 299 votes.

There were 1,925 abstentions from the vote. Results of the vote will be considered by the trustees of the charity at a meeting in November.

Read More

The trustees previously said the revised process for licensing trail hunts would allow the trust to meet conservation aims, as well as welcome people and accommodate users from a broad range of constituencies.

Since the ban on hunting with dogs came into force in 2005, the National Trust has licensed legal trail hunting on its land as one of number of activities it allows.

The trust insists it monitors the activities it licenses and has taken action against trail hunts on six occasions over the past five years. Hunts have had licences removed or suspended following reports by National Trust staff and members, it is understood.

Last year, 79 licences were issued to 67 hunts for use of National Trust land. The charity has five million members.

Applications have been received since the new measures came into force in August, ahead of the hunting season beginning in November.

Anti-hunt campaigners groaned as the vote was announced at the annual general meeting, at the STEAM museum in Swindon.

Protesters gathered outside the AGM from Saturday morning to support the vote to ban trail hunting, exempt hunting and exercising hounds on Trust land.

A spokesman for the National Trust said: “National Trust members at today’s annual general meeting have voted against a resolution for the cessation of ‘trail hunting’ on all land belonging to the charity.

Read More

“Prior to the vote, the charity’s board of trustees had recommended that the activity should be allowed to continue after recent improvements in licensing conditions to further safeguard conservation and access on the Trust’s land.

“The conservation charity has been carefully listening to both sides of a highly polarised and passionate debate for years. We are pleased members have had the opportunity to debate this issue and have voted to support the Trustees’ position.”

Helen Beynon said she started the motion with other National Trust members after witnessing hunts claiming to follow trails but actually chasing animals.

Helen Beynon said she started the motion with other National Trust members after witnessing hunts claiming to follow trails but actually chasing animals.

“I believe the only reason our motion has failed is because most National Trust members haven’t seen it with their own eyes,” she said.

“If they’d have seen what I’ve seen, then I have no doubt they would have voted with us.

“I was surprised, that despite all the evidence available to the National Trust Trustees, and the fact that we were given no opportunity to respond to the terms of any new licence, they advised members to vote against our proposal.

“By doing this, they have led people to believe that there is no problem. But there is a problem, hunts will now be able to continue their barbaric hobby on land which is meant to be protected for people and animals.

Read More

Baroness Ann Mallalieu, president of the Countryside Alliance and a National Trust member, said the Trust should adopt a “firm and consistent” policy to permit lawful activities.

“Then at last the pro and anti-badger cullers, the anti-hunt lobby, the vegan anti livestock farmers and the Countryside Alliance can argue out their issues without the Trust being diverted from its proper job,” she said.

One member from Devon told the AGM: “I would love to see this being another step on the road of the actual extinction of any type of hunting of animals, which is cruel.”

A member from Bristol said 80 per cent of the population oppose hunting, while one from Worcestershire said hundreds of National Trust members were proud that hunts took place on its land.

National Trust members are able to vote on resolutions in two ways – either by proxy or in person at the meeting.

Those voting by proxy can appoint someone else who will be at the meeting to vote on their behalf.

They can use voting forms or an online voting system to direct the proxy how to vote – called a specified vote – or they can leave the proxy to vote as they see fit, called an unspecified vote.

There were a total of 28,629 specified votes for the motion to ban trail hunting on National Trust land, with 27,525 specified votes against.

There were 2,057 discretionary votes for the motion, and 3,460 votes against.